


Crudeoil: Playing With Fireteam

by DaharMaster



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: APEX Strike Team, Gen, Mass Effect Multiplayer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21715684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaharMaster/pseuds/DaharMaster
Summary: Pathfinder Ryder has recently rescued Ark Paarchero from the hands of the kett, which means both an escalation in the ongoing conflict between the Andromeda Initiative and the kett, and a whole batch of new recruits for the militia. Kandros knows new APEX teams will be needed, and so against his better judgement he puts four misfits together.This fic takes the short given backstories for the ME:A multiplayer character of the Human Soldier, Batarian Scrapper, Salarian Operator, and Krogan Vanguard and expands them into full fledged living characters for whom adventure awaits in Andromeda.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Crudeoil: Playing With Fireteam

Tiran Kandros looked the four individuals over. Normally, he would never pair such a group together, but after Pathfinder Ryder’s assault on the kett Archon’s flagship, and the news about Ark Paarchero, he had a feeling he needed as many APEX strike teams as he could get.

“I know some of you just got thawed out,” he said, nodding to the incredibly nervous salarian and the equally relaxed looking batarian, “While others have been with the militia a while.” At that he nodded to the other two, both hulking figures, one human, one krogan.

“But I expect you to work as a team,” he continued, “I don’t care how you do it, but you’ve got twenty-four hours to figure it out. After that, you’re to be mission-ready and on standby until further notice. Understood?”

“Understood,” they all grunted in unison, or at least most of them, Kandros was pretty sure the batarian just simply grunted, but it was in an affirmative tone.

“Right, I’ll leave you to it,” he said, “Oh and by the way, your team designation is ‘Crudeoil’. Don’t ask, something Sajax came up with. And technically Lieutenant Khor’rab is team leader, for whatever that’s worth.”

And with that, the turian was gone.

“I’m guessing he meant you,” the well muscled human woman said to the batarian, smirking. The batarian slowly blinked all four of his eyes and rose to his feet in response.

“Yeah, that’s me I guess,” he replied in a deep throaty voice, “But listen, I’m not one for hierarchies or ranks or any of that crap. All it does, in my experience, is complicates things and breeds bad blood. So’s far as the team’s concerned, we’re all equals, and we’re all on a first name basis, alright? I’m Movran.”

“Well there’s a reason I never joined the Alliance,” the human said with a chuckle, “I’m game. Name’s Tanneth. You call me Tann, though, and I end you.”

“What? Why? Director Tann’s… well… I… I actually don’t know. I just came out of stasis recently,” the salarian stammered, “Oh I’m, well, I’m Jotha, I guess.”

“Tann’s an ass,” bellowed the krogan, “And I’m Gadurz. First name basis suits me fine, after all, I’ve only got the one.”

“I know most of Clan Nakmor left the station,” Jotha interjected, “I take it you’re not with them?”

“Not with any clan,” Gadurz rumbled, “And no you don’t get to know why. But I didn’t get kicked out if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“We get it, Gadurz,” Movran grumbled, “You’ve got a chip on your shoulder. I’ve known lots of folk who do, you’re entitled, but when we’re on a mission, you leave that chip in your locker.”

“Whatever,” Gadurz belched.

“So I’m gonna be blunt here,” Tanneth interjected suddenly, “Didn’t expect batarians in Andromeda. Haven’t seen any until you. I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just… curious.”

“It’s a long story,” Movran sighed, “My brother and I… we worked for a real vile guy, total cretin. He dabbled in everything; slaves, drugs, wholesale slaughter. It was… bad. But definitely not the kind of crew you could just leave. We needed out and we hated the bastard so we turned him in to the Alliance. They said they’d offer us protection.”

“And then they didn’t,” Tanneth said, flatly. Movran smirked and nodded.

“Guess we didn’t have the right amount of eyes,” he muttered, “Fortunately, some former STG operative who’d joined the Initiative really had it in for our old boss. Heard about us through old channels, pulled a few strings, and we were some of the first into cryo on Ark Paarchero.”

“Did he, you’re uh, benefactor that is, did he…” Jotha began then trailed off. Movran shook his head, a grim expression on his face.

“Fucking kett,” the batarian growled.

“Shit,” Gadurz agreed. Tanneth could only shake her head.

“Yeah, my brother and I are trying to make the most of it. Can’t repay a dead man, but we can try to repay his people. We’re both APEX now. He’s a biotic and I’m… well I’m just good in a fight. We don’t know much else of use,” Movran explained.

“I feel that,” Tanneth said, “If we’re doing backstories… mine ain’t so interesting, but I grew up on some shit little backwater community the Alliance technically controlled but couldn’t be bothered to protect, so I picked up a gun at a pretty early age. Worked the private security sector out in the Terminus Systems for a while once I was old enough.”

“Didn’t pay that well?” Movran asked. Tanneth shrugged.

“It did. Until I got shot. My whole left hip, part of the upper leg, and some of my abdomen’s artificial now. Fuckin’ miracle I survived,” she said, “Company I worked for paid for it, but it gave me some perspective. I still don’t even know what I was guarding that day. It was a warehouse. We weren’t allowed inside. So I started wondering what if I had died, would it have been worth it? Was I willing to die for some client’s secret bullshit? Fuck no.”

“Shit, that’s fucked up,” Movran replied, letting out a long whistle, “If it’s got nothing to do with your name or whatever, what’s your story Gadurz?”

“Eh,” Gadurz grunted, “No clan means no place on Tuchanka. So I was a merc. Only dipshit krogan mercs care about your clan and stuff. Well I did what a merc does. I fought a lot of things. Name a species back there and I’ve probably fought a dozen. Minimum. Even geth. It got boring. If you’re not a dipshit, you learn pretty fast everyone’s tricks. New galaxy though? No telling how many new things there are to fight.”

“ _ Seriously? _ ” Jotha squeaked, “You came here… just to find different — new — things to fight?”

“Yup,” Gadurz grinned, “And I sure lucked out. Kett are pretty simple, but they come in a lot of varieties. Those angaran rebels, uh, Roekaar? They’re clever bastards. And remnant! Holy hell, kid, they still throw me for a loop once in a while.”

“So Jotha, what about you?” Tanneth asked.

“M-Me?” the salarian replied, seemingly shocked.

“Yeah. You seem… awful young, not just for APEX, but for the Initiative. You STG or something?” she prodded.

“No! Well… no, definitely not STG,” he said nervously. Gadurz exchanged a glance with Movran.

“STG,” the krogan stated flatly.

“No! I was a security system field tech, but…” Jotha looked around anxiously, “I guess it doesn’t matter here in Andromeda. A lot of my family, father included, were with the Special Tasks Group. I… picked up a thing or two here and there. Helped me with my work.”

“Uh, this might be a stupid question,” Tanneth blurted, “But how do STG tricks help a… what was it? Security system field tech?”

“Well… okay my job was to test them, right?” Jotha replied, slightly more relaxed now, “And any good security system’s safe against any hacks just anyone with an omnitool can find on the extranet. But I was able to see if they could stand up to some STG methods and…”

“Wait,” Movran laughed, “You  _ tested  _ these systems? So you mean you tried to break into them, bypass them, whatever.”

“Well, yeah,” Jotha replied, somewhat perplexed, “How else can you know if they’re any good?”

“Just how good at your job were you?” Gadurz asked in a low tone, leaning forward slightly.

“I… I don’t want to brag but… I was probably the best?” the salarian replied in confusion, “But if I wasn’t going to join STG like my father wanted, he said my skills were wasted on that job and kept telling me I should join the Initiative. So I did. But…”

“But what?” Tanneth prodded, again.

“I was a day out of cryo and I get an email from Mr. Kandros, says he looked at my file and I’d be excellent for APEX. I mean, I want to help out, but he was… really insistent. I was kind of hoping to do my old job but, you know, at an outpost. I’m… actually not sure why Kandros wanted me here at all,” Jotha mumbled.

Movran began to chuckle, then Tanneth began to laugh, and finally Gadurz burst into an all out guffaw. Jotha looked around in complete confusion.

Suddenly Gadurz held up a hand and bellowed, “Wait a minute!” The rest fell silent, all eyes on the krogan.

“I’m gonna be the one who ends up having to protect our master hacker’s ass when the shooting starts, aren’t I?” Gadurz growled. Tanneth and Movran both nodded in unison.

“Shit,” was all Gadurz could say.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping to add further chapters to this, but I've been bad about that with past fics, so I suppose it'll depend on the reception.


End file.
